Adding Reef Breeders Edge Bars to a UNS 90 Reef Tank - PAR Test & Setup

Our UNS R90 reef tank has been running great under Meridian 11 lighting, with strong coral coloration across the board. But to really push growth on SPS — particularly Acropora, which demand far more light than something like Montipora — we brought in the Reef Breeders Edge Bar as a third, independently controllable light source aimed right at our SPS section.

What the Edge Bar Is

The Edge Bar can run as a standalone light or be added onto an existing Meridian system. In our case, we added it as its own independent light rather than grouping it with the Meridian bars, so we can angle and aim it specifically at our high-light SPS corals without changing the Meridian program running the rest of the tank.

Build Quality & Mounting

The Edge Bar ships in solid aluminum construction with a carrying handle on the power supply and multiple mounting options. We used the articulating side mounts (rather than the arm mounts) so we could dial in a precise, level angle on both fixtures using the built-in reference lines.

PAR Testing Results

• Baseline with white channels only: ~60–65 PAR
• Edge Bar white channel at 100%: jumped to 230–240 PAR — an increase of roughly 170 PAR from the bar alone
• At the edge of coverage: ~140 PAR, dropping to ~50 PAR with the Edge Bar off
• Full normal lighting schedule combined with the Edge Bar: 400–430 PAR, fluctuating with wave action

Critical Advice: Avoiding Coral Burn

Jumping corals from the 200 PAR range straight to 400 PAR will burn them. Any time you add new lighting, increase intensity gradually — roughly 10% (about 20–30 PAR) at a time, over several weeks, so corals have time to adapt. We're ramping this Edge Bar up in stages rather than running it at full power immediately.

Final Verdict

The Reef Breeders Edge Bar was straightforward to install, fully modular with no extra brackets required, and added exactly the kind of concentrated, adjustable light coverage we wanted for pushing SPS growth on a UNS R90. If you're running Acropora-heavy sections under a Meridian system and want more punch without a full lighting overhaul, this is a strong option.

Want to add supplemental high-PAR lighting to your own reef tank? Shop Reef Breeders Edge Bars and the full Reef Breeders Meridian lineup at natureaquariums.com, or stop by our Lauderhill store to see them running on our own reef systems.